Windrider Film Festival Returns for its 10th Year!

Atherton, CA, May 9 – Windrider Bay Area Film Forum (windriderbayarea.org) is celebrating 10 years of bringing a thoughtful curation of films followed by robust Q & A sessions to the local community.

Windrider’s eclectic 2019 film journey will take the audience from San Quentin Prison to a tattoo parlor in the Appalachians, and will follow a Cuban youth finding his independence from communism and a deaf youth finding his freedom in performing Beethoven.

In this milestone year, Windrider is proud to show our first Academy Award Winning film that chronicles the introduction of a revolutionary product in India, which opened opportunities for young women that once seemed unimaginable.

Program Schedule

Q BALL – Thursday, June 27, 7 PM
This powerful film documents the stories of the “San Quentin Warriors,” a group of incarcerated men who are involved in a competitive basketball program that is designed to educate and rehabilitate, helping them rebuild their lives. Through the eyes of the team, we view the struggles of the entire San Quentin community with the weight of their crimes and their preparations for life on the outside. Guests to be announced.

SHORTS PROGRAM – Friday, June 28, 7 PM

ESTA ES TU CUBA is the story of a family ripped apart by the terror and brutality of the Communist revolution in Cuba, punctuated by the son’s solo journey to a better life in the United States, one of over 14,000 children to make this trek unaccompanied by parents or other family members. ESTA ES TU CUBA has won several awards including the 2018 Student Academy Award (Bronze) in the Domestic Dramatic Category and the Best Student Film at the 2019 Windrider Film Showcase, and has appeared at multiple 2019 film festivals.In attendance: Brian Robau, Director

BENEATH THE INK is a timely and provocative look at the work of an Appalachian tattoo artist in Ohio who is endeavoring to “erase the hate” by reworking racist and hateful tattoos into beautiful works of art, free of charge. Winner of numerous festival awards including the Most Inspirational Film at the 2019 Windrider Film Showcase. In attendance: Cy Dodson, Director.

PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE This inspiring 2019 Academy Award winning documentary short film directed by Rayka Zehtabchi reveals how the introduction of a simple machine that manufactures sanitary products revolutionized the lives of young women in India. Being able to attend school during menstruation instead of dropping out at puberty created opportunities that previously seemed unimaginable. Winner of the Triumph Award at the 2019 Windrider Film Showcase. In attendance: Ruby Schiff, Executive Producer

Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements explores the deeply personal story of Irene Taylor Brodsky’s 11-year old son Jonas’ discovering a newfound world of hearing – and music – after a cochlear implant surgery. Jonas becomes interested in learning Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, a beautiful and heart-wrenching piece written during the year he was blindsided by his own deafness. The story becomes an intergenerational tale of deafness as we also learn about the challenges facing both of Jonas’ aging grandparents who were born deaf. Much like the iconic piece after which it is titled, Moonlight Sonata is a story about loss and, more importantly, what we discover when we push beyond it. Moonlight Sonata is an HBO Documentary Films/Vermillion Films production. Attending: Irene Taylor Brodsky (director & producer), Tahria Sheather (producer), Jonas Brodsky and Sally Taylor.

About Windrider Bay Area Film Forum

The Windrider Film Forum takes participants on a journey, exploring our common humanity imaginatively and compassionately, through film. Many filmmakers have become the conscience in our culture, creating films that do more than simply entertain us. Windrider works to find independent feature length and short films exploring the human condition with creativity and respect, hoping to inspire meaningful discussions, and to motivate its audience to respond actively and constructively.
The Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center
555 Middlefield Road, Atherton, CA 94027
$15 general admission; $10 student admission
On sale in advance at windriderbayarea.org and also at the door (depending on availability)